Barbecue Turkey Breast Recipes

A cracking brine and a glaze to boot. It’s one of the best barbecue
turkey breast recipes I’ve got but be warned, the brining process is at
least an overnight job and preferably 24 hours so don’t start this one
if you’re planning on cooking tonight.

The recipe is deliberately prepared for one lobe of the breast because we're grilling ie. cooking directly and if we were to grill too large a piece then the meat would be dry on the outside whilst still trying to cook the inside. For the same reason when it comes to the cooking, we'll cook over medium heat so it's not too aggressive to the exterior of the lobe.

The brine is beautifully sweet and with the addition of a chili and mustard has a little kick to it. It's also a week brine (approximately 10%) hence why you can leave the lobe in for 24 hours.

Click here for more information about brine recipes and how to calculate concentration levels.

In addition to the ingredients below you’re also going to need a half lobe of a turkey breast.

Ingredients:-

50g / 2oz salt

50g / 2oz sugar

2 tablespoons chopped fresh ginger

2 tablespoons freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon cinnamon

4 garlic cloves, chopped

Method:-

Pour 225ml / half a pint of water into a saucepan (big enough for the turkey breast) and add the ingredients. Heat up until all the salt and sugar has dissolved then add a further 700 ml / 3 pints of water and leave to cool. Once sufficiently cool, chill it for a couple of hours in the refrigerator and this will ensure that your turkey remains at a safe storage temperature throughout.

When cool, drop the turkey breast lobe into the brine and leave it in the refrigerator overnight.

On the morning of your turkey barbecue it’s time to make up the glaze;

Ingredients:-

3 tablespoons honey

1 teaspoon English (yellow) mustard

2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

Method:-

Spoon the glaze ingredients into a small pot and give them a good mix. You're now going to use this mix to lightly baste the turkey breast through the cookout.

On medium coals, place the turkey breast on the grill and turn it every 5 minutes or so during the cookout. Using a brush or mop, lightly brush the glaze over the meat as your turn it.

Grill for approximately 30 minutes, until you get a temperature reading of 160°F (70°C) or when the juices run clear (use a skewer to prick right into the middle of the breast).

TIP - Before serving, let it stand for 15 minutes. This will just allow the juices inside the meat to thicken and so keep the breast moist. You'll also notice that the core temperature of the meat will continue to rise through the first 5 minutes of the resting phase.